Fox News’ latest polling data should alarm the Republican Party, because it shows President Barack Obama winning over Mitt Romney in a general election, the Democratic Party with higher favorables than the Republican Party, Mitt Romney with low favorables and the Tea Party in the dumps.

Here’s the data for how the public, per the Fox poll (conducted by Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) of 912 registered voters by landline and cell), views the various parties:

Only Newt Gingrich is loathed more than the Tea Party. And while Mitt Romney has only 2% more unfavorable ranking than the President, Romney’s favorables are another story. Only 39% view Mitt favorably, while 50% view Obama favorably.

Mitt Romney’s troubles don’t end there. His unfavorables have almost doubled at 49%, with the steady descent starting in 2010 at 28% unfavorable. At the same point in time, his favorable ranking was 40% and it has remained pretty steady at 39%. As people get to know Mitt, his unfavorables rise.

With 52% unfavorables, the Republican Party is holding around the 50% disapproval they’ve suffered for over a year. Their favorable views have gone from 35% to 41% to the current 39% today. Those aren’t good numbers, but they are also not nearly as bad as they should be, given the facts.

The Tea Party’s favorables have remained pretty steady at 30%-ish, falling from 35% and 39% in 2010, but their unfavorable are brutal. In 2010, only 22% saw the Tea Party unfavorably. Today, 51% see the Tea Party unfavorably. And this is a Fox poll.

Some of the questions in this Fox poll are leading, for example, “Do you think President Obama has taken responsibility for the economy, or is he still blaming other people and circumstances?” ‘Still’ implies that it an established fact that the President has not taken responsibility for the economy but should have.

This, of course, is inaccurate. The economy started tanking in 2007, and the global melt-down of 2008 happened while Bush was still in office. The facts are that the President has been working hard to fix our economy (which is taking responsibility for it), but he has gotten little to no support from the Republican Party, which views a bad economy as a plus for them in elections. The issue here is that Fox and Republicans would like to blame Obama for the economy, and he rightly does not accept the blame for something that happened when he was not even in office. The responses to this leading question were predictably bad for the President.

Here’s the meat of this Fox poll: The question is, who would you vote for “if the 2008 general election were held today and the candidates were…” And the winner is….

Barack Obama over Mitt Romney, 46% to 42%.

It’s still early; most polling data regarding the general election is just political junkie candy for pundits and wonks. For example, just days ago several polls showed Obama losing to Romney in the general. But long term trends like the toxicity of the Tea Party are important and relevant, especially when that wing is driving the Republican Party into positions they may not be able to walk back from in the general election. And the data regarding lack of enthusiasm for the candidate indicates long term trouble for Mitt Romney.

Among those who say they would vote for Mitt, the question is asked: “Is that more a vote FOR Mitt Romney or more a vote AGAINST Barack Obama?” 40% say for Mitt Romney while 54% say against Obama.

Obama voters, on the other hand, are exceptionally more enthusiastic with 73% FOR Obama and only 23% voting AGAINST Romney.

From Fox’s own poll, we see that indeed the Tea Party is loathed and familiarity with Mitt breeds contempt more than it generates enthusiasm.

It’s not good for Republicans that Obama voters are so enthusiastic, because the Republicans need to get out the vote for the House and Senate. On the other hand, a majority of this country must still be asleep, if only 52% of them see the Republican Party unfavorably after the wars on women, legal immigrants, voting rights, healthcare, workers rights, civil rights… Let us sum the wars up with a link to the absurd legislation the Republican Party has been wasting our money on while stealing our freedoms.

The universally loathed Tea Party (aka; Koch brothers) is driving the Republican Party further to the Right, even causing Mitt Romney to announce that he is going to get rid of Planned Parenthood. No one in the party seems to be able to grab the reins back from the Tea Party extremists, not even the GOP’s “inevitable” winner for the Presidential nomination, Mitt Romney. If Mitt Romney can’t even lead his party, how will he lead the country?

If Romney doesn’t find a way to gin up some enthusiasm from his own party without alienating himself from the general electorate, he’s in trouble.

Fox Poll Shows Obama Winning Over Romney and Tea Party Loathed was written by Sarah Jones for PoliticusUSA.

Ms. Jones is a Senior White House and Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Since joining Politicus in February of 2009, Sarah has been quoted by Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic Wire, CNN, MSNBC, The Week, The Hollywood Reporter, The Richard Dawkins Foundation and more. Sarah co-hosts Politicus Radio with Jason Easley and is the political correspondent for KPTR 1450's California Woman 411, hosted by Dee Jae Cox. Sarah is an award-winning producer with a background in TV/Film (TV host, news anchor, producer & writer) and a member of the Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA and SPJ. Sarah graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a major in Psychology & minor in Latin. She spends her free time dancing (ballet) and horseback riding (English).

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Henceforth, gatherings for afternoon tea shall be known as four o’clocks after a delightful, fragrant, inoffensive flower, whose uncomplaining good nature graces our summer gardens (Morning tea is already known as “elevenses”).

Shiva (Moderator)

Thu, Mar 15th, 2012 at 5:47 pm

I purchased ooolong gensing to, by the leaf. Cups for everyone

Shiva (Moderator)

Thu, Mar 15th, 2012 at 5:46 pm

Absolutely excellent!

Diane

Thu, Mar 15th, 2012 at 5:52 pm

They have only themselves to blame.

majii

Thu, Mar 15th, 2012 at 6:01 pm

IMHO, it is too late for Romney to try moving back to the center. If he does, he loses the TPers, and he can’t win without them. They want PBO’s blood and are willing to do anything to achieve this goal. When Newt won the primary here in GA, a blogger on one of ajc.com’s blogs proclaimed, “GA is still run by white men!” It was puzzling to me why someone would take such glee in a candidate like Newt, who is going nowhere, winning in a state where everything they hear/read is a RW lie. I would be very depressed if I didn’t know that the younger generation is not made up of azzholes like this man.

Susan D

Mon, Mar 19th, 2012 at 1:45 am

Because it is more important to them that the white man wins than if they run a viable candidate. THAT is how deep their hate goes.

Mark

Thu, Mar 15th, 2012 at 6:38 pm

The only thing is, Fox News lies so much that we should wonder if this is a lie and they are winning! :)

Shiva (Moderator)

Thu, Mar 15th, 2012 at 6:49 pm

My opinion but the move towards the center by Fox is a total smoke screen for something

Yeah, I’ve noticed that shift too. And interestingly, I was cruising Palin’s FB page yesterday and noticed numerous remarks about people feeling Fox “has gone liberal” on them. I think they see the writing on the wall. The tea party has shoved them so far to the right, and anyone in politics knows they must move back to the center for general election, so Fox is trying to start moving people back toward the center. Their problem is…I don’t believe the radical righties are going to budge. Plus, with the presumed nominee at this point being Romney, there is no way he can move back to center. We won’t let him. We’ve got the video, the articles, the evidence to corner him in. I’m sure the GOP is hoping that with 7+ months to go, people will forget some of the more caustic, radical stuff. Nope, not happening, especially the women’s rights they’re trampling on. I’m not sure the GOP realizes just how completely pi$$ed we are. We are fired up and we aren’t forgetting.

I suspect jjm is correct: The GOP is dead. This is probably their last ditch attempt to resurrect *something*, anything!

Johnee

Thu, Mar 15th, 2012 at 10:01 pm

You see that dumbass lady in the picture? Those of us that live in Texas and the southern states have to tolerate filth like her!! The damn civil war is looong over lady. The sane rational people won. Get over it. We are the UNITED STATES of America. Not the each southern state can do what it damn well pleases cause we wanna own “coloreds” again, of America! You are NOT the “real America” You are a relic of America’s past that decent people are ashamed of, and want to move onward and upward from.

Tim

Fri, Mar 16th, 2012 at 1:21 pm

It is a Fox poll. Sorry I just don’t believe it.
“When someone show’s you who they are, believe them.”

Mae Bloomfield

Thu, Mar 22nd, 2012 at 2:57 pm

Remember that 80% plus young voting age people do not have land telephone lines. 65% Latinos are predominantly cell phone users and about 55-60% black persons predominately use cell phones as opposed to land lines. Many progressive singles–roughly 60% are also cell phone users. None of those aforementioned are accessible for polling data–especially by Fox; since they would not have their email addreses either. So add another 10& points on to Obama’s numbers and you get the true picture as of now.